Debates of Nov. 2nd, 1994

Petitions

[John O'Reilly, Liberal, Victoria—Haliburton, ON]

The fourth petition asks that Parliament act immediately to extend protection to the unborn child by amending the Criminal Code to extend the same protection enjoyed by born human beings to unborn human beings.

[John O'Reilly, Liberal, Victoria—Haliburton, ON]

The fifth petition asks that Parliament ensure that the present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be enforced vigorously and that Parliament make no changes in the law which would sanction or allow the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

[Joe Comuzzi, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Nipigon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition from many hundreds of residents of my riding of Thunder Bay-Nipigon.

The petitioners plead that the crimes committed on society by young offenders are on a serious uprise throughout all of Canada and that there are certain elements in the young people of our communities who have little or no respect for law and order and the protection of life of their fellow citizens. The petitioners abhor the lack of remorse or shame shown by many of the young offenders within our communities.

The petitioners implore Parliament to review and revise our laws with respect to the Young Offenders Act by at least releasing the names and lowering the age to allow prosecution of the young offenders in this country to meet the severity of the crime.

[Philip Mayfield, Reform, Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present three petitions from constituents in Williams Lake, British Columbia.

The first petition calls upon Parliament to ensure that the Criminal Code prohibiting assisted suicide be vigorously enforced.

[Philip Mayfield, Reform, Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC]

The second petition calls upon Parliament not to amend the human rights act or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or of homosexuality, including amending the Canadian Human Rights Act to include in the prohibited grounds of discrimination the undefined phrase of sexual orientation.

[Philip Mayfield, Reform, Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC]

The third petition calls upon Parliament to extend protection to the unborn child by amending the Criminal Code to extend the same protection enjoyed by born human beings to unborn human beings.

I concur with all of these petitions.

[Len Taylor, NDP, The Battlefords—Meadow Lake, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present this afternoon, pursuant to Standing Order 36.

The first petition is signed by a number of constituents of The Battlefords-Meadow Lake, all members of the Ukrainian Catholic Women's Organization in The Battlefords.

The petitioners draw the attention of the House to the following: Decriminalizing assisted suicide or legalizing euthanasia could lead to a reduction of patient-physician trust and respect, the degrading of the value of human life and the erosion of moral and ethical values. Palliative care is active and compassionate care which can relieve the pain and suffering of terminally ill persons and families without the dangers of suicide.

Therefore the petitioners pray that Parliament continue to reject euthanasia and physician assisted suicide in Canada and that the present provisions of section 241 of the Criminal Code of Canada which prohibits the counselling, procuring, aiding or abetting of a person to commit suicide be enforced rigorously, and that Parliament consider expanding palliative care that would be accessible to all dying persons in Canada.

[Len Taylor, NDP, The Battlefords—Meadow Lake, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by a number of residents of various parts of Canada. The petition presented to me states that Canadians for several decades have been provided home delivery of their mail not by privatized post offices but by Canada Post post offices.

Further, the recent introduction of supermailboxes has further reduced and eroded post office services that all Canadians have come to expect as a normal federal government service.

Therefore the undersigned petitioners pray and call on Parliament to end privatized postal outlets and reinstate full postal services and products normally provided by Canada Post through sub post offices.

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of presenting two different petitions today.

One is signed by 387 of my constituents regarding the issue of abortion. Now that an abortion clinic is opening across the street from the Parliament Buildings the issue is receiving new life and I hope higher priority on the political agenda.

My constituents are concerned that unborn human beings do not receive the same protection as those who are allowed to be born and they request that Parliament act immediately to extend protection to the unborn child.

I too am concerned that there is currently no law in Canada protecting unborn children.

[Chuck Strahl, Reform, Fraser Valley East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I also have the privilege of presenting two additional petitions today signed by 124 of my constituents.

Their concern has led them to sign a statement which says that a majority of Canadians believe that same sex couples should not receive the same privileges as heterosexual couples. They also say that the Canadian human rights code should not be amended to include the undefined phrase sexual orientation.

I share their concerns and I want them to know that I concur with their sentiments.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present three petitions to the House.

In the first one the petitioners pray that Parliament ensures that the present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be enforced vigorously and that Parliament make no changes in the law which would sanction or allow the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia. I concur with this petition.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition has to do with the issue of sexual orientation.

The petitioners pray that Parliament not amend the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or of homosexuality, including amending the Canadian Human Rights Act to include in the prohibited grounds of discrimination the undefined phrase sexual orientation. I concur with this petition.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my third petition has to do with the rights of unborn human beings.

The petitioners of Mississauga South and the surrounding area pray that Parliament act immediately to extend protection to the unborn child by amending the Criminal Code to extend the same protection enjoyed by born human beings to unborn human beings. I concur with this petition.

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions.

The first petition is signed primarily by constituents of Scarborough West but also surrounding areas. They pray and request that Parliament not amend the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or of homosexuality, including amending the Human Rights Act to include the prohibited grounds of discrimination the undefined phrase sexual orientation.

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed primarily by residents of the town of Frankford, Ontario who have requested me to bring this petition to the attention of the House.

They have asked that Parliament act immediately to extend protection to the unborn child by amending the Criminal Code to extend the same protection enjoyed by born human beings to unborn human beings.

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is signed primarily by residents of Smiths Falls, Perth and Lanark in Ontario. They have asked me to present this petition for them.

The petitioners ask that Parliament ensure that the present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be enforced vigorously and that Parliament make no changes in the law which would sanction or allow the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

I concur with all three of these petitions.

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions on the matter of Leonard Peltier. One has 175 or so

signatures, the other has 75. They are signed largely by people from Peterborough riding but also from elsewhere in Ontario.

These people petition Parliament stating that at the time of the Lakota-Chippewa native American Leonard Peltier's extradition from Canada to the U.S., the information provided surrounding Mr. Peltier's case was fabricated by U.S. authorities. Since that time new information has emerged that indicates that Leonard Peltier was not guilty of the crimes for which he has spent the last 18 years in prison.

Therefore these petitioners request that Parliament hold an external review of the 1976 extradition hearing and that he be brought back to Canada for asylum.

I would like to say the last time I presented one of these petitions I made the point that an internal review is already under way but I would stress that these petitioners want an external review.

[Murray Calder, Liberal, Wellington—Grey—Dufferin—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I am presenting three petitions for my constituents in the Collingwood-Stayner area.

The first petition contains 67 signatures and calls on the government to amend the Criminal Code to extend to unborn children the same protection enjoyed by born human beings.

[Murray Calder, Liberal, Wellington—Grey—Dufferin—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition contains 63 signatures and calls on the government not to amend the human rights code in relation to the recognition of same sex relations.

[Murray Calder, Liberal, Wellington—Grey—Dufferin—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition contains 60 signatures and calls on the government to ensure that the present provisions in the Criminal Code with regard to assisted suicide be enforced vigorously and to make no changes to the law which would sanction or allow the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

[John Solomon, NDP, Regina—Lumsden, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to stand this afternoon to present two petitions.

The first petition is signed by residents of my constituency of Regina-Lumsden, as well as the communities of Copper Sands and Pilot Butte in Saskatchewan. Pursuant to Standing Order 36, this petition is duly certified and states that whereas under section 745 of the Criminal Code of Canada convicted murderers sentenced to life imprisonment without chance of parole for 25 years are able to apply for review after 15 years and that the murder of a Canadian citizen is the most reprehensible crime, these petitioners request that Parliament repeal section 745 of the Criminal Code of Canada.

[John Solomon, NDP, Regina—Lumsden, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I have to present today pertains to the Senate.

The petitioners are from the constituency of Regina-Lumsden primarily. They believe that the Senate, being unelected and unaccountable, has become a home of recipients of Tory and Liberal patronage, and has been a discarded notion of a working body in the best interests of Canadian taxpayers over the past number of years. Because the Senate costs $54 million to $55 million per year to Canadian taxpayers, and that travel costs for senators alone are nearly $3 million, these petitioners request, pray and beg the House of Commons, the Parliament of Canada and the Government of Canada to abolish the Senate.

[Val Meredith, Reform, Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to present two petitions to the House today.

In the first, petitioners pray and request that Parliament ensure that the present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be enforced vigorously and that Parliament make no changes in law which would sanction or allow the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

[Val Meredith, Reform, Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, the petitioners pray and request that Parliament not amend the human rights code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or homosexuality, including amending the human rights code to include in the prohibited grounds of discrimination the undefined phrase sexual orientation.

It is my pleasure to present these to the House.

Questions On The Order Paper

[Peter Milliken, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, Question No. 71 will be answered today.

Question No. 71-